You will have received an email from UCU Central on Friday. We, Keele’s UCU Branch Committee, do not have time…
**Update – See VC’s Reply!
Dear Vice-Chancellor,
We are writing to express our great disappointment and ongoing concern regarding the University’s disinformation effort on the matter of USS. For the second time this month, you stated in an email to all University staff that UUK proposals were adopted in the absence of alternative proposals from UCU. This is categorically and demonstrably false.
Employers – including our own – have simply decided that, in order to avoid having to pay higher contributions or commit to providing stronger levels of covenant support to the scheme, they would rather betray us and make us poorer in retirement. And not a little bit poorer: the average USS member stands to lose 35% of their take-home retirement income (over £100,000 assuming 15 years in retirement).
Read more including about our EGM.
Members may have seen recent updates about the evaluation of the USS pension scheme. Central UCU have promised further updates shortly, but we thought an update would be helpful. Along with other branches and central UCU, Keele UCU believe that neither the USS 2020 valuation nor the governance of USS are fit for purpose. Echoing other branches who have raised these points, we also believe that the behaviour of the Pensions Regulator contradicts its remit…
Dear members, our correspondence with the university still continues regarding the Keele UCU consultation on OneKeele and senior management’s response. Please see here their latest message.
Keele UCU’s response to the OneKeele Design Group.
We are writing in response to your communication regarding our consultation of members on OneKeele. Keele UCU is deeply disappointed with this response, which many colleagues have already denounced as wholly inadequate.
Last week Keele UCU asked its members for comments and views on the communication, handling and impacts of OneKeele. We summarised the main themes and concerns emerging from members’ comments and provide a summary the senior management at Keele University.
Here is their “response”…
Keele UCU asked its members for comments and views on the communication, handling and impacts of OneKeele. We have drawn on and summarised the main themes and concerns emerging from members’ comments and provide a summary here. This document includes extensive qualitative data gathered from UCU members.
In response to the rationale offered by Senior Management at Keele for the closure of the Music Programmes, colleagues in Music have written a statement that challenges some of the key claims underpinning the proposal to close the department.
As some of you might be aware, last week Senate members were provided with two papers for consideration related to the future of Music programmes at Keele. The first was a proposal for Senate to formally approve the withdrawal of all Music programmes at Keele, the second was a proposal to explore how Music provision would be continued on campus after the Music degrees were withdrawn.